


Et Tu, Brute?

by wackyjacqs



Series: Bizarre Holidays [75]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s06e12 Unnatural Selection, Episode: s08e11 Gemini, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 12:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18120848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: I hope you don’t make me regret your decision.The words haunted him the moment they’d left Samantha Carter’s lips almost two years previously.





	Et Tu, Brute?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ‘Brutus Day’ (15 March), a day “reminding us that even in this modern age, betrayal, subterfuge, and (metaphorical) backstabbing is still alive and well”. (Their definition, not mine). 
> 
> Episode tag for season 8 ‘Gemini’, with a slight reference to season 6 ‘Unnatural Selection’.

_I hope you don’t make me regret your decision._

The words haunted him the moment they’d left Samantha Carter’s lips almost two years previously.

They had been on the X-303, waiting to rendezvous with the Asgard, when she’d looked him straight in the eye, uttered those words, and then turned and left him alone on the bridge.

He knew what he’d asked her to do at the time, knew what it had cost her, but he had given her an order. That was exactly what it was – _an order_. And while he didn’t particularly like having to make that call, he’d had no choice. It was part of the job and, sometimes, it came at a cost.

Today, Jack realized, the time to start paying the price had finally arrived.

However, as he looked around and saw the broken mirror pieces strewn across Carter’s vanity basin and bathroom floor, he wasn’t sure if he was prepared for the ultimatum.

He held his breath as he caught sight of Sam sitting in the far corner with her back against the wall, her knees pulled tight to her chest and her head rested on her knees. As he stepped into the room, he tried carefully not to startle her, but the shards shattered even further under his boots. At the sound, Sam’s head shot up and as she scrambled to her feet, she used one hand to wipe away the tears that had stained her face.

“What are you doing here, sir?”

“Take it easy, Carter,” he murmured as he held his hands out by his sides. “When you didn’t answer the door, I let myself in.”

He took another step closer and reached out to see why his former teammate had one hand cradled to her chest, but when Sam tried to move away, he frowned in concern.

“Don’t touch me. _Please._ ”

“Carter –”

“I just want to be left alone, sir.”

He pursed his lips as he watched her closely. “Talk to me, Sam.”

Slowly, she met his gaze, her eyes glistening with more tears, and Jack tried not to flinch as her upset soon gave way to anger.

“Talk to you?” she repeated incredulously. “Do you have any idea –” She stopped abruptly and shook her head. “I think you should leave, General.”

“With all due respect, Carter, I’m not going anywhere. You’ve destroyed half of your house and –”

“And with all due respect, _sir_ , I don’t want to hear it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re going to have to,” he retaliated as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Is that an order?”

“If it has to be, yeah.”

He waited as Sam closed her eyes and sighed, and he knew what was coming next.

“What do you want me to say, sir? That I screwed up? I _know_ – and if it’s the last thing I do, I swear, I _will_ fix it, but –”

“It’s _not_ your fault, Sam.”

“Yes, it is,” she said as she moved towards him and he caught a glimpse of her bloodied hand. “It’s all my fault.”

“How?”

“Because I let my feelings cloud my judgment,” she hissed.

The silence that followed her outburst was deafening, broken only when Sam took a deep breath.

“A couple of years ago, I said I didn’t want to regret a decision that you made,” she said quietly.

Jack nodded as he recalled that particular conversation – again – and as they held each other’s gaze, Sam whispered, “Do you still think it was worth the risk?”

**Author's Note:**

> The idea behind this fic is that while Jack didn't necessarily betray Sam, he ordered her to betray Fifth back in 'Unnatural Selection'. So, in my mind, Fifth's anger at Sam whenever the time dilation field ends, is partly Jack's fault. Aside from a terse exchange of words between Jonas, Sam and Jack on the X-303, the issue isn't dealt with again - then, when RepliCarter appears in 'Gemini' and everything goes to hell, the final scene in the episode always gets to me. Because it _is_ Sam's fault that the events turned out the way they did. But, to me, Jack also has to shoulder some of the responsibility. I just thought there was so much more potential for the two of them to really thrash out an argument about the whole situation, but we never got to see that play out on screen... 
> 
> *and breathes... then steps down from soapbox and backs away slowly*


End file.
